Opening a Corey McFarlane bride’s wedding album is like hopping on an emotional
roller coaster. Each photograph not only takes her back to the moment it was
captured, but also reflects her feelings at that time. South Florida–based
McFarlane knows that a more candid, photojournalistic approach delivers the
emotional impact his clients expect to see in their albums.

“My main goal is to capture the expression of each bride and groom,” he
says. “If you really can’t get a feel for what the bride and groom
are thinking about or doing in the photograph, then you’ve missed the point.
And if they’re feeling, ‘Hurry up and take this picture so I can
get back to the party,’ you’re more likely to end up with something
closer to a senior portrait than a commemorative photograph.” That’s
why McFarlane likes to hang back and focus on highlighting the event, as it occurs,
with as much detail as possible. His motto is, “Just have your moments
alone, and I’ll be in the background doing my thing.”

Being Informal

Still, no bride wants to miss out on at least a few classic portrait shots
on her wedding day. “I know we have to get some formal photographs,” admits
McFarlane, so he tries to get them out of the way as quickly as possible.

“I find that a lot of brides really just want to have fun on their wedding
day, and are more concerned about the photojournalistic shots anyway,” says
McFarlane.

Once he has his bases covered where the bridal party is concerned, it’s
time to do what he was really hired for. “I try to make it a point to
pull the bride and groom away for five to 10 minutes and let them get close
and have fun while I’m out of the way, taking photos.”

That’s when McFarlane gets his characteristically detailed closeups of
the couple interacting, their foreheads touching, his hand cupping her face. “And
they are comfortable enough with me to do that because we’ve already
spent so much time together by that point,” he says.

This comfort level is a result of a pre-wedding day engagement session where
McFarlane not only gets to know the couple, but allows them to get to know
him. “As elementary as that sounds, it’s pretty powerful,” says
McFarlane, “By being myself around them, they laugh, ask questions, and
chat about life.” In no time at all, McFarlane’s passion for his
profession is readily apparent, and the couple is assured he has their best
interests at heart.

Once trust is established, McFarlane offers the best advice he can give. “I
tell them the best photos are the ones of you guys just being yourselves, so
that’s what I want you to do. If you love my photos, you have to understand
this is how I captured them.”

Setting the Stage

McFarlane has his own ways of provoking these tender moments. For example,
he arranges to be present and camera-ready the very moment the bride and
groom see each other in their wedding attire for the first time.

“During a beach wedding in Fort Lauderdale, we hid the groom and moved
the bride to the entrance of a bridge at the event site. Then we had the groom
close his eyes and walked him to the middle of the same bridge. As soon as the
bride turned around and began her approach to him, instantly, tears flowed. “Those
are the photos I live for,” says McFarlane. “That’s what the
bride wants me to capture: the joy and emotion of seeing the person you want
to spend the rest of your life with.”

In another setup, McFarlane actually blindfolded the groom and walked him over
to where the bride was. He captured her excited expression upon seeing the
groom and then removed the blindfold.

“They immediately embraced, her eyes were closed, her hand on his face,
just phenomenal photos,” recalls McFarlane.

The Golden Ticket

Secondary to chronicling the emotions that occur throughout the event is
documenting the details of the event itself.
“When you spend so much money on your wedding, you want to see what you
took out a second mortgage for,” McFarlane says, jokingly. “So
I take elegant photos of the ring, the bouquet, the dress, invitations, table
cards, and any kind of personal items dear to the bride and/or groom.”